MSU IMPART Alliance

IMPART Alliance is a statewide program with an institutional home in the College of Osteopathic Medicine/Family and Community Medicine. Its primary purpose is to assist the state of Michigan with developing an infrastructure that builds and supports the direct care workforce. Direct care workers (DCW) provide the kind of care that allows an individual to stay in their own home as long, and as independently as possible. They generally spend more time with an individual than any other member of a care team and as such are in a pivotal position to affect outcomes, for better or worse. Yet, there are currently no federal competency or training requirements for most categories of DCWs. There is a current, acute shortage of DCWs across MI. It has a major impact on the health care industry, other industries, the economy, housing, transportation, and most all socioeconomic systems.

IMPART Alliance was established in 2016 with grants from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (totaling over 1 million dollars) but grew out of years of developing comprehensive, person-centered DCW training programs, advocating on behalf of DCWs, and conducting community-based, participatory research, much of it in partnership with state government. Since 2020, the Alliance's efforts have been gaining traction. IMPART Alliance has emerged as the primary organization in the state with expertise in DCWs and the shortage, now partnering with all major stakeholders and leadership across the state to affect system changes. In 2020, MDHHS established the statewide DCW Advisory Committee, which Dr. Luz co-chairs. Also in 2020, IMPART Alliance partnered with PHI, a national organization advocating on behalf of DCWs, with a presence in Detroit. PHI received a large Kellogg Foundation grant to work with three states to raise up DCWs through policy reform in three areas; wages/benefits, professionalization, and better data collection and use.

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Project Contact:

  • Clare Luz
  • Family and Community Medicine
  • College of Human Medicine


Partners

  • Addus Healthcare Agency
  • Black Women in Homecare
  • Community Social Services of Wayne County
  • Detroit Area Agency On Aging
  • Immediate Personnel
  • Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute
  • Prosperity Home Health Agency, LLC
  • Wayne State University School of Medicine
  • Michigan Department of Health and Human Services



Report of calendar year 2021 activity.